Paying for the Privilege of the Beach

Spanish Banks was last beach in Vancouver with free parking

Summer is just around the corner, but to enjoy the beach at Spanish Banks, it's going to cost more to park there.

The Vancouver Park Board passed a motion go make paid parking a permanent fixture at the west side beach -- and to raise the rate to C$1.50 per hour from C$1 per hour.

The motion came about after the pilot project, which ran from July 2024 to May 2025, and brought in C$168,000 in revenue.

Permanent parking fee at C$1.50 an hour now

But not everyone is happy, because when the pilot was implemented last year, a petition collected over 4,000 signatures.

Spanish Banks was the last beach in Vancouver to have free parking, but it looks like the city is anxious to make as much money as possible.

Jas Virdi was one of two park board commissioners who voted against the motion.

"This was that one last place in Vancouver that everyone could enjoy," he said during the meeting. "It was very low barrier, it was a place for families to come out and enjoy it for free. And there's not much that's free for children and our seniors these days."

But Commissioner Tom Digby defended the motion, saying maintaining public spaces comes at a cost.

"I have to emphasise, it's so expensive to run any park," he said. "We have spent C$1 million last year putting in a water pipeline so Spanish Banks west could have flush toilets and have showers."

This may deter people from coming to the beach

It's also a way to stop people from parking their cars overnight, as some homeless people who live in their cars have done before the parking pilot last year.

It's a tough call, but surely the rate could be a bit cheaper? As a child I remember we enjoyed spending time at the beach from the early afternoon until early evening, several hours making sandcastles, wandering by the water's edge looking for shells, and eating food we brought in coolers before going home. 

Parking will now be an added cost that could deter people from coming, or stay for a shorter time. It's also sad when you remember how things used to be before, and how times have changed. 

The city is going through an adjustment period with so much construction, roadworks and now metered parking installed everywhere. For long-time Vancouverites, it's an adjustment that can be hard to adapt to.

Picture of the Day: Cherry Blossoms

Cherry blossoms like pink popcorn on branches

Vancouver is turning pink! 

Cherry blossoms were coming into full bloom in Kerrisdale and I managed to take a few pictures.

They are definitely different from plum blossoms, which have fewer flowers and are darker in hue, whereas cherry blossoms are more dense in terms of petals and are hung in clumps that look kind of like pink popcorn hanging from branches!

There are thousands of cherry trees

For Vancouverites there's no need to go to Japan to see sakura -- we have over 43,000 cherry trees in the city. Hundreds were planted in the early 1930s by the mayors of Kobe and Yokohama in honour of Japanese Canadians who served in World War I. 

Then in 1935, immigrant Japanese couple Bunjiro and Kimi Uyeda donated a thousand young cherry trees to the Vancouver Park Board.

The city has thousands more cherry trees than the National Mall in Washington DC, which only has 3,800.

And it's not a Japanese city with the most cherry trees -- that honour goes to Changwon, South Korea with 360,000 trees.

Stanley Park Train Back on Track

The train's route is decorated with numerous lights

Christmas has finally arrived at Stanley Park as corporate donors stepped up to help pay for parts and repairs to the miniature train.

Up until 2019 it was run as a fundraiser for the BC Professional Fire Fighters Burn Fund, but then Covid-19 hit, then there were concerns of coyote attacks in the park, and then numerous repairs needed to be made on the train.

Sim (left) made the announcement today

But this year, with Mayor Ken Sim onboard in City Hall, donors like Beedie Foundation, the Peter and Joanne Brown Foundation, the Diamond Foundation, the Lyall Family, Jeff Stibbard, and The 625 Powell Street Foundation were called and stepped up to chip in.

Sim said the City of Vancouver and the Vancouver Park Board were facing "financial constraints" and so the city was "thinking outside the box" when it reached out to these donors to help cover the costs.

"But when we asked they gave us a resounding, 'Hell yeah,'" said Sim, who didn't disclose how much money was raised to repair the train.

So while the money was rolling in, it was a challenge to find parts for the locomotives and track. But with this announcement, things are starting to move again.

The annual fire fighter fundraiser is back this year

This will be not only exciting news for kids who love riding the train and seeing the Christmas lights in Stanley Park, but also for the BC Professional Fire Fighters Burn Fund, who raised most of their funds during this period. One wonders how they survived these past three years.

Now Sim can cross this off his to-do list...

The Rabbits of Jericho Beach

One of hundreds of cute rabbits at Jericho Beach

A friend took me to Jericho Beach this evening to not only catch the sunset but also show me the feral rabbits that live there.

For over 15 years, people who are tired of their pet rabbits (usually after Easter), set them free at Jericho Beach and the cute furry population has exponentially increased.

They are out in the open, unafraid of humans

Every year around Easter the City of Vancouver warns residents to think carefully if they purchase a rabbit for the spring holiday and to not get rid of the pet by releasing at the beach, but instead giving it to animal welfare groups to ensure better care.

"The rabbits are not wild -- these are all European rabbits that are bred as pets. They come in a variety of colours including black, white, grey and brown, and many are spotted or have a variety of markings," explained Nick Page, a biologist with the Vancouver Park Board.

"As such, all of these animals were once pets. People have simply been leaving them here, and they have continued to do so for at least 15 years."

He estimates there could be some 250 rabbits roaming around the area.

This evening we saw dozens of rabbits, both adults and bunnies hopping around and eating the parched grass. They did not care for people to touch them and hopped away if they attempted to.

Be sure not to feed or touch the rabbits!

Years ago my friend said the rabbits would hide in brambles in a grassy area near the tennis courts, but this time we took a look and those have been removed, making these animals more vulnerable to predators, including coyotes.

The rabbits didn't seem to show any fear of predators and were out in the open munching away on the super dry grass.

However do not feed them -- anyone caught feeding wildlife could be fined up to C$500. It is unhealthy for the feral rabbits, but also them gathering makes them more vulnerable to predators and could spread disease. Food left for them could also lead to mice and rats getting at the food, that could also lead to other diseases spreading.

So while the rabbits are super cute, don't touch and don't feed!

Cyclists Angry Stanley Park Bike Lane Will be Removed

Temporary bike lane in Stanley Park was voted to be removed

Back in chilly Vancouver, where the snow from a few days ago still has frozen into ice and still hasn't melted, though rain may come late tomorrow.

The big story today was tonight's Vancouver Parks Board vote on whether to remove the temporary bike lane in Stanley Park and it's a contentious issue for cyclists, pedestrians and motorists. 

Described as the city's "jewel", the urban park has a bike and pedestrian path that is 13km long in circumference. This is great for leisurely bike users and pedestrians to avoid getting into crosshairs with cars.

The bike lane created headaches for drivers

About two years ago during the pandemic, one of the two car lanes was turned into a temporary bike lane which made it easier for cyclists to commute through the park. 

The action resulted in joy for cyclists, and frustration from drivers, as it immediately led to a massive traffic jam in the park, and it led to many not visiting Stanley Park anymore.

However now with the recent municipal election last month which voted in a new Park Board stacked with ABC Vancouver commissioners, tonight they voted 6-1 to return to the two-car lane in Stanley Park. 

City park board commissioners have asked city staff to come up with a permanent cycling plan for the park by the spring.

The lone vote against was Green Party commissioner Peter Digby, who criticised ABC for not putting this divisive issue in its election platform, and only brought forward the motion after being elected into office.

The city will come up with a permanent bike lane

"It's been such a victory to have this bike lane," he said. "Driveability is not the hallmark of a world-class park."

While the motion asks city staff to "immediately restore the pre-Covid traffic and parking configuration in Stanley Park in time for the upcoming December 2022 peak holiday season".

Reaction from cyclists has been swift. Jeff Leigh is the president of the non-profit group Hub Cycling, said the vote result was "very unfortunate".

"There are many things that could be done to improve the bike lane, but to pull it out on a faint hope of reinstalling it, we think is a poor decision," he said.

We will have to wait and see what the city staff come up with in terms of a permanent plan for cyclists. In the meantime those who voted for ABC Vancouver hoping for the change they wanted may now be frustrated this was not the change they wanted. They are stuck with this super majority in city hall and the park board for the next four years...